The Green Bay Packers Understand The Internet

We're pretty used to professional sports teams and leagues making ridiculous policies for their Web sites. But the Green Bay Packers might have just taken the taco.

As discovered by Packer Backer Blog, the Packers have a "policy" that requires anyone who links to the Packers' home page — anyone who links there — to link ONLY to Packers.com, and not to any internal page. It all says so right there on their "copyright" page ... but whoops, there we went, linking internally again! Don't sue, Packers!

Other sites may link without prior permission to the home page of the Green Bay Packers, www.packers.com, (the "Service") only through a plain-text link. Permission must otherwise be granted by us in writing for any other type of link to the Service and/or copyright content owned by the Green Bay Packers.

Seriously: The Packers claim that their "copyright" says you can't link to anything but their homepage. Shame, too, because we'd just love to link to that ProShop. Oh well!

According to the site, to link to an internal page, "you may write to Jeff Blumb, Director of Public Relations, 1265 Lombardi Avenue, Green Bay, WI 54304.."

They also have some rules for anyone who links to the front page. They are:

• (a) shall not create a frame, browser or border environment around any of the content of the Service;

We have no idea what this means, but sure!

• (b) may link to, but not replicate, Service content;

Well, then, we're totally not entering this essay contest.

• (c) shall not imply that the Green Bay Packers are endorsing or sponsoring it or its products or services;

OK, we're not implying it, we're saying it: "Will Leitch" is an alias for A.J. Hawk. He's been writing this site from the beginning. The Packers love Deadspin and constantly give it backrubs and reach arounds.

• (d) shall not present false information about the Green Bay Packers or its products or services;

The Packers are going to be awesome this year, and they are clearly revolutionaries in the world of Web content. Absolutely!

• (e) shall not use Green Bay Packers trademarks without prior written permission from the Green Bay Packers;

Does that count as a trademark? Or just an "implied endorsement" not to use that service. (No, not "Service." Just service.)

• (f) shall not contain content that could be construed as distasteful, offensive or controversial.

Whew. We think we covered all that's required of us. Now, thankfully, we're allowed to link to the Packers home page! Thanks, Packers!

Packer Backer Blog